C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

General Palm Springs area.

C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby sdd250 » Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:08 pm

Hi there, I'm looking to hike C2C for the first time sometime in October. I've done a good amount of research and think I am well prepared for this, but I would prefer to do it for the first time with someone who knows the trail well. None of my friends are strong enough to attempt this hike with me. Ideally I can find someone who wants to start a bit before sunrise and likes to hike at a pretty fast pace, but I'm open to starting earlier and hiking at a slower pace as well. I'm 34/M and living in Los Angeles.

Let me know if you are interested in doing this hike with me or know someone experienced who would be interested. For comparison of my potential pace and fitness level, last weekend I hiked Mt. Baldy ski hut trail and pushed it pretty hard to the top in 1:36. Afterwards I hiked back and drove down the road and did another hike up to the icehouse saddle for a total of about 7,500k elevation gain for the day, the most I've ever done in a single day. I've previously hiked San Gorgonio Vivian Creek in under 3:30 and Mt. Wilson in under 2:30. I plan on hiking San Gorgonio Vivian Creek next Friday 9/27 and probably will do another tougher hike the following weekend or some combination of hikes with a lot of total elevation and distance. My schedule is pretty open for weekends in October to hike C2C, depending on when the weather is best and potential hiking partners are available. I'm also open to meeting up on these training hikes I'm planning in the next few weeks.

Hope to hear back from some of you!

-Steve
sdd250
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:32 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby Ed » Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:23 am

Steve,

There will be plenty of people on the trail on weekends by late October, probably two or three dozen a day. You won't be alone. A partner who is a stranger may be a complication, for example you have to move at the same speed to stay together. I know the standard rule is to not hike alone, but hiking with strangers has its issues. The only time I started up Skyline with a partner, I had to call 911 and we were hoisted off. You sound very well prepared to me, and you are choosing the right time of year. You might consider Baldy by the Bear Flats trail, as an additional fitness/calibration hike, about 6,000' of elevation gain in about 6 miles. (Can't see 7,500' of elevation gain for your Baldy-Icehouse Saddle hike, by the way.) Also check the Mt. San Jacinto Hiking Club, they have Skyline hikes, though not as many as they used to.

https://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Coachella-Valley/

Sounds like you are doing everything right, and should have a great experience!
Ed
 
Posts: 824
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:04 pm
Location: San Diego Area

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby Perry » Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:59 am

If the faster person is injury-free and able to carry more weight, then the slower person could hand them all their packs and water to carry. This would not be a good idea on downhill but might be okay on uphill, especially if the faster person has done some weight training and recovered from that.
Counting the days until October...
User avatar
Perry
Site Admin
 
Posts: 1518
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 6:01 pm
Location: Palm Springs, CA

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby Ed » Fri Sep 20, 2019 1:22 pm

Perry wrote:If the faster person is injury-free and able to carry more weight, then the slower person could hand them all their packs and water to carry. This would not be a good idea on downhill but might be okay on uphill, especially if the faster person has done some weight training and recovered from that.


Good suggestion, Perry. But having a dark humor bent, I immediately thought of someone disappearing up the trail with my water!
Ed
 
Posts: 824
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 2:04 pm
Location: San Diego Area

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby Jimbozeubuen » Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:45 am

If the weather next weekend is as good as the current forecast (highest temps are in the 80s for the entire day), I'm planning to do C2C2C and you're welcome to join me. C2C is not an option since the tram would still be closed by then.

I'm not an expert on the trail yet, but I did C2C for my first time on 8/24 and now I'm looking to push that further!
Jimbozeubuen
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2018 5:11 am
Location: Irvine, CA

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby sdd250 » Sat Sep 21, 2019 10:19 am

Ed wrote:There will be plenty of people on the trail on weekends by late October, probably two or three dozen a day. You won't be alone. A partner who is a stranger may be a complication, for example you have to move at the same speed to stay together. I know the standard rule is to not hike alone, but hiking with strangers has its issues. The only time I started up Skyline with a partner, I had to call 911 and we were hoisted off. You sound very well prepared to me, and you are choosing the right time of year. You might consider Baldy by the Bear Flats trail, as an additional fitness/calibration hike, about 6,000' of elevation gain in about 6 miles. (Can't see 7,500' of elevation gain for your Baldy-Icehouse Saddle hike, by the way.)


Thanks for the advice and that's good to know there would be a decent number of other people on the trail in October. I certainly can understand the concerns about hiking with a stranger and that's why I suggested possibly meeting up first on a training hike where we could see for sure if we would be good hiking partners for the C2C. I certainly wouldn't want to have your experience of having to be rescued!

You are right, I miscalculated the elevation I did on the Baldy-Icehouse Saddle hike, it was probably about 6,600 total elevation gain for the day. I think I may try out the Baldy by Bear Flats trail you suggested, and possibly turn it into a loop along the 3Ts trail, possibly up to Ontario or Cucamonga peak. That would probably total over 8k elevation gain and nearly 25 miles distance.
sdd250
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:32 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: C2C in October, looking for hiking partners

Postby sdd250 » Sat Sep 21, 2019 10:22 am

Jimbozeubuen wrote:If the weather next weekend is as good as the current forecast (highest temps are in the 80s for the entire day), I'm planning to do C2C2C and you're welcome to join me. C2C is not an option since the tram would still be closed by then.

I'm not an expert on the trail yet, but I did C2C for my first time on 8/24 and now I'm looking to push that further!


Thanks for the offer, but I think I would like to tackle C2C first before attempting C2C2C. I'll send you a private message to see if you might be open to meeting up for a training hike sometime in the next few weeks.
sdd250
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2019 6:32 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA


Return to Mt. San Jacinto & Santa Rosa Mountains

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 11 guests

cron